Rep. Bob Ney: Tom DeLay’s Newest Crony of the Week

Rep. Bob Ney: Tom DeLay's Newest Crony of the Week

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee today announced Rep. Bob Ney of the 18th district of Ohio as its newest Tom DeLay "Crony of the Week." Ney will be featured for the next 7 days on the DCCC's new Tom DeLay House of Scandal website.

Few Republican members of the House of Representatives are as tangled up in Tom DeLay's House of Scandal as Bob Ney, and with his designation as the newest Crony of Week, now Ney's Ohio constituents will know the truth about Rep. Ney's close ties to the ethically-challenged DeLay.

The House of Scandal website is a powerful, new informational resource that serves as a clearinghouse of information about the various scandals and charges leveled against Tom DeLay and his allies. The website, found at www.houseofscandal.org, shows the lines that connect the scandals that surround Tom DeLay and specifically documents the ways that Tom DeLay and his closest allies were able to depose the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, gut the House ethics rules to protect DeLay, and halt any meaningful action to put an end to the ethics cloud hanging over the Congress.

"Bob Ney has taken lavish vacations paid for by special interests, offered tit-for-tat legislation for campaign cash and favors, has a voting record that is nearly identical to Tom DeLay, and has taken tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from DeLay's PAC, " said John Lapp, Executive Director of the DCCC. "The truth is, Ney and DeLay are inextricably linked, and it is high-time the voters of Ohio knew about it."

Rep. Ney's Crony of the Week page on the House of Scandal website details for his Ohio constituents how Ney has made a name for himself through his close connections to DeLay and "super-lobbyist" Jack Abramoff:

Bob Ney has taken more than $24,000 from DeLay's ARMPAC [www.tray.com].

Ney put partisan politics in front of what is right for his constituents in the 18th district of Ohio -- Ney votes with DeLay more than 95% of the time between January 1, 2004 and March 31, 2005 [www.cq.com].

Rep. Ney has been identified as one of the go-to Republican members of the House that Abramoff would use to curry legislative victories for the Indian tribes Abramoff has been accused of bilking out of millions of dollars. In fact, on one occasion after Ney agreed to do Abramoff's bidding, Abramoff then got the Tigua American Indian tribe to donate to Ney's committees, and helped organize a junket for him. [Cite: "Just met with Ney!!! We're f'ing gold!!!! He's going to do Tigua." -- Email from Jack Abramoff to business partner Mike Scanlon after Bob Ney agreed to slip a provision into law for them, http: //indian.senate.gov/].

Rep. Ney was one of three Republicans to take an all-expenses paid lavish European golf vacation organized by and including lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Questions still linger about who paid for the trip. [Washington Post, 9/28/04, Los Angeles Times, 3/9/04].

Bob Ney voted to weaken the House Ethics rules in a move that many say served only to protect Tom DeLay. When Democrats offered a solution to clean up the House by strengthening ethics rules, Ney voted to make sure it never even came to an up or down vote. [H Res 5, Roll Call #6, 1/4/05 and H Res 153, Roll Call #70, 3/15/05].

Rep. Ney has called Tom DeLay one of his "good friends." In 2001, Ney was reported as being, "an active lieutenant in good standing on the whip team of House Majority Whip Tom DeLay." Ney, one of DeLay's deputy whips, was also quoted saying of DeLay, "I'm a good friend of his." [National Journal, 6/9/01].